


Bound To You

by key_baes



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crime Thriller, It's so hard to tag this ahah, M/M, Mix of modern/supernatural/and crime thriller, Mystery, Supernatural Elements, Thriller, suspensful
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2018-09-20 19:20:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9508748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/key_baes/pseuds/key_baes
Summary: A story about loss, about hurt, and about learning to forgive yourself - even if it takes 500 years.Sometimes you have to let people help you, but when Lea is partnered with the conspiracy-theorist Riku for his history class, he has to wonder how he got stuck with someone so odd.However, it doesn't take long for Lea to realise there's more to Riku than meets the eye - and whose connection with a string of disappearing girls is about to get them both into more trouble than they ever expected.





	1. Conspiracies

Lea had never disliked someone more than he did in that moment.   

Bleach white hair, with eyes a greenish blue of what, in his distaste, Lea would compare to laundry detergent, and wearing what seemed like the most boring t shirt, jeans and leather jacket combo he’d ever laid eyes on.

The student's name was Riku - and he was his partner for the rest of their 16th century studies unit.  
  
“I’m telling you, he didn’t die from the plague” the detergent eyed idiot exclaimed as he slammed his book down on the table, turning to meet Lea’s eye with a furious glare. “We should do a different topic.”

Lea wasn’t having it.

All he had wanted to do was to agree on a topic. Why did he have to end up with the nuttiest student on campus, why would someone even go into history studies if they believed in nonsense?  

Even Lea, who had chosen his major on a whim, was at least respectful enough of the subject to take it seriously. Be it study of cultures or the theology units that talked about ancient gods.

It wasn't that he believed in that stuff, more like he enjoyed trying to figure out why other people did.

Riku, on the other hand...

  
“Oh yea? It’s well documented! Agreed on! Right here in this book that you were meant to read for class!” Lea’s voiced raised an octave higher with each remark, unable to mask the fact the debate was driving him up the wall.

Even with the class textbook being waved in his face, Riku didn’t seem to care, his brows so firmly furrowed that he looked like a snarling cat.

“Why does everyone assume it was the plague?”  
  
“Because the guy that wrote this book had damn right more evidence than you and your conspiracy theories!” Lea shot back, shoving the textbook into Riku’s chest and glaring down at him.  
  
“It’s not a conspiracy theory” Riku hissed, grabbing the book from Lea. He leaned closer, close enough Lea could see the pupils of his eyes dilate in dim light of the library. “Anyway, like I said, we should change topic.”

Lea ignored him, his head aching with stress.  
  
“We can’t change topic! The teacher already assigned it.”  Lea replied, too frustrated to care about the noise they were making. “Unless of course you’re willing to go and tell them the textbooks are wrong?”

  
“I’m not doing that.”  
  
“Well, I’m not changing the topic unless you can give me a reason outside of ‘the textbooks are wrong cause I say so.’ Ok? Ok.”  
  
“Not ok, smartarse.” Riku’s voice raised higher, Lea could see a the twitch of his eye. “I know because I was-” his words were abruptly cut off by the sound of the librarian behind them.  
  
“Would you two please keep it down! This is a Library, not the parliament!” She stood at the entrance to their row of shelves, glaring them down like a hawk.  
  
“Sorry ma'am” Riku said quietly, before glaring back up at Lea, cheeks flushed. Lea found himself staring back at the ashen haired idiot with a thump of disbelief in his head.  
  
“Are you actually insane?” Lea asked, eyebrow twitching, voice low and threatening to break.

Riku just continued to glare at him, before muttering something like ‘why did I join this ridiculous subject’ under his breath.

Lea felt like beating the textbook over his own head.

“Yea, why did you?”  
  
Riku just pouted, apparently lost for words.  
  
“I’m going home” Lea said, grabbing his bag, shoving past the still frowning Riku. “I’m gonna try and get a new partner, so don’t bother contacting me.”

He huffed out of the university, hood up against the cold night air. The darkness felt thicker during winter, but Lea ignored it, turning up his music and shoving his earphones in as far as they’d go.

It wasn’t far to his apartment, but as he hurried through the alleyways Lea couldn’t shake the awful feeling he was being followed. The feeling tickled at the back of his neck, hairs standing up anxiously. He pulled his laptop bag closer, holding onto it for protection.

Ever since the disappearances and started, everyone on campus had been on guard.

 _If I’m mugged, i’m blaming the detergent eyed idiot._ Lea thought sourly.  
  
He had nearly reached his apartment, when a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder. Lea reacted faster than he could think, his bag swinging around to hit the person behind him with all the force of his laptop and books.

Headphones pulling out with the heavy thrust, he was made aware of someone cursing. Eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light, Lea quickly recognised the startled person behind him.

It was Riku.  
  
“You!” Lea exclaimed, heart thumping with adrenaline.  
  
“What the hell are you doing?!” Riku gasped through a bloody nose, glaring up at him.  
  
“You followed me!”  
  
“My nose is broken” Riku was doubled over now, clutching his face.  
  
“Look, I thought you were gonna mug me or something. I’m sorry. Anyway it’s not broken, it’s just bleeding” He took out a tissue, handing it to the pouting man.  
  
“Imsorry” Riku groaned.  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“I’m sorry! Sorry I acted weird” Riku met his eye, bright and reflecting the light from a nearby streetlamp. Lea glared back at him for a moment, feeling another headache coming on. This was too much.  
  
“I’m still not working with you” he replied, folding his arms.  
  
“Fine” Riku muttered. “You left your wallet at the Library” he shoved the leather at Lea. There was an awkward silence as they stared each other down.  
  
“Thanks” he murmured, not sure what to say. Riku glared back, blood running down his face. Without saying anything, he stalked off, leaving Lea alone. For a few moments he watched him as his back retreated into the dark, before his head started thumping again with pain. Lea turned and hurried to his apartment. 

He locked himself inside, laying on his bed and nursing the migraine that had come over him. He was over thinking, he was sure, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that had come over him since seeing Riku in the alleyway. Lea wasn't superstitious, nor easily shaken, and yet his heart thumped with anxiety as he thought harder about his work partner. The idea someone as serious looking as Riku could spout nonsense like ‘I was there’ in the middle of a crowded library startled Lea more than any creepypasta he could find in the depths of the internet. Did he really think he'd been alive in the 1500s? 

Perhaps Riku was on drugs. Maybe the kind that turned hair white and made eyes unnervingly bright. Against all his gut feelings, Lea stayed up to google his worries - finding no indication of alternative ideas that supported Riku's own.    
  
Headache staying with him throughout his weekend, and after a restless sleep on Friday, Lea tried to put any thought of Riku out of his head, focusing instead on university. He'd resigned himself to writing the report alone, deciding that if Riku was so hellbent on his make believe insane theories, he could do it outside of their shared mark.  
  
By the time his alarm sounded for Monday classes, Lea had gotten over the events of the Friday. He had a topic, and a contention, that was enough to keep in mind until a week or so before it was due.

He made his way to the lecture, taking a detour to get coffee and cake. The cafe was busy, and Lea caught himself gazing at the television on the wall as he waited. The dull voice of the news reporter made his tired brain go foggy, but he was pulled out of it at the announcement of a news report.  
  
“...and this makes the third missing girl in two months; the newest victim being 15 year old Alice from the central gardens. The police report no leads thus far… you can call...”  
  
Lea could hear people whispering at the news. Another girl, huh? He could remember the first, a blonde cheerleader from the outer suburbs, and then a brunette from a farming community. Somehow the police knew they were tied, but they weren’t giving that information away to the community.  
  
Lea walked into class carrying a lukewarm coffee, most of the seats taken. In fact, all of the seats were taken. But one.

Lea met two detergent coloured eyes. How was it Riku managed to take up the seat directly next to the only free only left? It seemed to Lea it was deliberate, but realised it sounded ridiculous as soon as he thought it.  
  
He sat down, not meeting Riku’s eye, but paying enough attention to notice his nose looked completely fine - no bruising or sign of being bashed by a laptop and a heavy swing. Lea wondered if Riku really was a drug addict. He did look tired; the bags under his eyes looked like dark blotches against his otherwise pale skin, lips cracked. Lea almost felt sorry for him.  
  
“They teach us anything ‘wrong’ yet?” He asked, half joking, half mocking.  
  
“Yes”  
  
Lea didn’t find it funny. Instead, he turned his attention to the lecture, trying to make notes. The intricacies in their daily lives, the conditions, traditions. At least he tried, but he kept getting distracted by Riku’s note taking - or lack of. The young man was instead browsing a news site on his laptop, the headline catching Lea’s attention.  
  
Another Girl Taken.  
  
He found himself staring, Riku was reading the article intensely, his eye’s moving fast and page scrolling faster than Lea could keep up. Suddenly the tab changed, and another article of the same subject popped onto the screen. Lea’s mouth hung open a bit. Riku had at least 20 tabs open.  
  
Interesting. It was interesting. Lea didn’t want to think the word ‘suspicious’, more likely Riku was just researching things for more of his conspiracy theories. He half expected one of the tabs to say ‘Girls Abducted - Aliens?” or something. Still, he kept quiet, his eyes flickering between Riku and his articles for the rest of the lecture.    
  
He hardly noticed as the teacher concluded the lesson, students rustling to pack things away. Riku hadn’t moved, his eyes still scanning the screen.

Lea wanted to ask him what he was doing, get a laugh out of whatever crazy theory he had; but something was throwing him. Riku’s intense expression, the stiff way he was holding himself.  
  
Lea felt himself sighing with concern. Riku wasn’t a normal guy, in fact the trickle of pity he’d felt for him earlier was catching up. He didn’t consider himself a sap, but he did care about abandoning someone that might need help.. With whatever was wrong with Riku. Besides, the lecturer had already left, and Lea realised that he didn’t feel as good about splitting the group work as he had that morning.    
  
“You gonna move?” Lea wondered aloud. At this, Riku flinched a little, eyes tearing away from the screen to gaze at him. Lea found himself quite lost in those teal - detergent - coloured eyes for a few moments.

Wait, what had he been going to say?  
  
“I’m surprised you care... weren’t you here to talk to the lecturer and disband our group?” Riku’s reply pulled Lea back quickly to reality, he felt a strange twist in his stomach as he searched for an answer.     
  
“I’m allowed to change my mind” Lea said, raising an eyebrow at Riku’s questioning, the odd moment from before already forgotten. Riku watched him carefully, closing his laptop.

His gaze reminded Lea of a cat, calculating and patronising.  
  
“Well, I guess I’ll see you same time on friday then” With that, Riku stood up with a grace Lea hadn’t noticed the week before, sliding past him and stalking out of the lecture hall.  
  
What the hell was he doing?!   

  
Rubbing his temples, headache returned, Lea cursed himself. He was stuck with Riku. 


	2. Anxiety

Lea was late to meet Riku, his last class on friday had run over time. He half regretted not getting the student’s number, but mused that Riku was probably too weird to give his contact details out to others anyway. He would’ve been right.

It had been a long week, and Lea hadn’t seen Riku since the last class. He hoped perhaps they could make up for their last meeting - find common ground. Even if it meant Lea give an ear to his strange opinions on history.

And maybe, in exchange, Riku would tell him more about the missing girls.

Lea went to looking for their previous location in the library, the lone desk seated behind some oddly placed shelves. Riku wasn’t there. Lea breathed out. It was weird, even if Riku was an oddball he still seemed academic enough. He went to lectures and had arrived to their last meeting early. Had he forgotten?

Lea decided to sit for a moment, resting his head in his arms. It had been a long week, but not because of university. He hadn’t been sleeping, dreams of dark shadows leaping out from darker places had been haunting his dreams. Memories of Riku’s bright eyes peering at him from the dark.

He only had himself to blame, Lea was nosy. Things had been bugging him, like Riku’s odd behaviour and his apparent obsession with the missing girls. So, because Lea was interested in Riku’s interest, he’d started looking into the disappearances too.

At first it’s just been the basic news articles, the things he’d seen on tv and on Riku’s laptop screen the day of the last disappearance. Information Lea already knew off hand. Three girls missing now, all from different areas, all young and hopeful according to friends and family.

Of course they were, they always were. As Lea had suspected, whatever made the police think all the missing girls were tied was being withheld from the media, which Lea had assumed was common practise. He’d soon learnt otherwise.

Subreddits and forums dedicated to missing persons had started cropping up in his searches; websites with names like “the missing” and creepier still “no sleep” giving hits again and again. He’d found himself applying the same habits as he would if he were studying the subject, making notes in a large word doc; memorising key information. One thing had been a common pattern in the more fanatical posts.

_Why would the cops be withholding info? Think about it guys, you’ve got missing girls, wide area, you could easily tell us if they were related by family or work or ties. No. This is something gruesome. A calling sign, something cult. We’ve seen this in the past, the feds are trying to keep it on the down low. Whatever is getting those girls is leaving a mark that’s scaring them enough to keep it outta the public._

_Back from work, one of our reporters made it to the scene early, said the amount of cops hanging around was way too large for a simple missing persons._

_They’re not letting us talk to the parents._

Lea woke in the dark.

He’d dozed off, the heating in the library putting him to sleep in his tired state. Somehow the librarian had missed him tucked away behind the shelves. Now he was alone, in the dark, and would have to find the night guard to let him out. Great.

As if to top it off, Riku had never even shown.

Lea wasn’t spooked that easily, though the eerie silence of the building was getting to him. He hurried through to the main area, glancing around for the guard. Sure enough, the aging man was leaning on the wall near the entrance, reading what looked like a romance novel in the light from outside. Lea cleared his throat.

The man jumped a bit, pulling out his baton in shock. Lea held his hands up wearily.

“I fell asleep back there”

“Jesus christ kid, you nearly killed me!” the man checked over Lea’s student card, shaking his head at him. “It’s past midnight now, be careful going home. Friday nights are full of drunks and idiots”

And cult members kidnapping girls, Lea thought dryly as he took his card back. He was about to leave when a question caught in his mind.

“Hey, you didn’t see a guy with white hair around earlier did ya?”

The man glanced up, surprised, he paused, thinking for a moment. “I did, saw him meet a girl with blonde hair out here. I remember because they both seemed real shaken, hurried off that way” the guard motioned towards the street behind the uni. The only thing Lea knew was back there was the university bar.

“Thanks” Lea said as he pushed out the front doors. He knew he should go home, he knew he was being stupid, but Lea suddenly really wanted to know who the blonde girl was, and why Riku had left him alone in the library to meet her.

The bar was closed, Lea remembering only as he reached the corner. The university had closed them down after a particularly unfortunate incident with the Dean, too much tequila and a late 3am clubbing night. Lea had seen the photos, he chuckled to himself despite the situation.

Riku was probably home by now, which meant Lea should be as well. The cold night air cooled Lea’s intuition, and now it seemed more likely the girl was Riku’s lover rather than… whatever it was Lea had been assuming. Drug dealer? Cult expert? Fellow conspiracy theorist?

Lea realised even he had started being pulled into the same silly way of thinking, and he’d only been near Riku a few hours. Maybe it was contagious.

He began walking down the street; luckily it eventually intersected to the side road he lived on, but it was still at least a five minute walk.

At first Lea thought it was just the cold, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling as he hurried along. But then he realised he knew this feeling. It was the feeling of being followed, of being watched. The same one he’d felt the night Riku had returned his wallet.

Lea was alone on the street, and even with his heart beating in his ears, all he could hear was the sound of his own footsteps. It would be stupid to look around, to be afraid. But every instinct he had was yelling at him: TURN AROUND.

He did.

At first he saw nothing, just the light from the street lamps and dark of the university buildings around him, but then something caught his eye, the flash of white between two buildings. Lea blinked to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.

It was Riku. Slumped against the brick wall of a building, trash bags on either side of him.

Something turned in Lea’s gut.

It was a different kind of instinct, a fight or flight response. Whatever had been giving him the creeps seemed to have lifted, but now it was replaced by blind panic. What the fuck was going on? Why was Riku slumped amongst some trash, not 2 minutes from the library? Lea thought about the blonde girl, where was she in on all this?

“I was only kidding when I guessed you were drug addict” Lea groaned, biting his lip as he hurried to Riku’s side. He was in a bad way, his leather jacket skewed around him, hair messed and dirty with what looked like blood, holes in his shirt... only Lea couldn’t see any sign of him actually being hurt.

Where are his wounds, bruises? Lea wondered.

“Hey, Riku!” Lea nudged him with his foot, looking around him as he did. They really were alone. There was a soft groan as Riku’s eyes fluttered open, the bright teal orbs slowly moving to look up at Lea.

“Lea.. what?” He looked dazed, his eyes unfocused.

“Come on! We need to get out of here, get you somewhere safe.” Lea didn’t really think about what he was saying, but it wasn’t like he was wrong. He was worried whoever had done this to Riku could come back.

“How are you.. Namine…” Riku didn’t fight as Lea lifted him off his feet, supporting him under one shoulder. Not knowing who or what Namine was, Lea started pulling him towards the direction of his apartment.

“You didn’t come to the library, and I fell asleep, and..” Lea realised how panicked his voice sounded the more he talked.

“The library.. Shit… Lea - Lea?” Riku suddenly turned to him as they paced slowly down the street, eyes wide. “LEA?!” his voice echoed in the quiet night. Lea felt like running.

“Yea, Lea! I’m trying to help you” despite Riku’s weak looking state, the man tried to pull away, feet dragging on the ground.

“You can’t, you have to get out of here, get away-”

“I am! With you, the people that did... Whatever they did to you could be back at anytime!” Lea pulled him along, just one more minute and they’d be inside, and out of this awful night.

It was getting way too cold.

“But…” Riku looked tired, he leant against him, glancing around them with the same intensity Lea had seen as he read those articles. He seemed to suddenly change his mind about leaving, because he started to pick up the pace too.

They hurried down the alley, soon, they were at Lea’s door. Riku leant against the wall as Lea fumbled with his keys. As he did, he became aware of the strange tingling on the back of his neck, and Riku’s hand on his shoulder.

"Hurry!"

The lock clicked, Lea pulled the door open and jumped inside, trying to pull Riku in with him. He couldn’t. Some invisible force was stopping Riku’s hand from passing his entrance.

What?

Riku was saying something, but he couldn’t hear him over the thumping sound of his own heart. There was a man walking down his street towards them, his face hidden under a black hood. He looked freakishly tall, taller than Lea. He could see a pair of yellow eyes glowing underneath.

Riku suddenly pulled him towards him, grabbing his chin and forcing him to meet his eyes. As he did, a sharp pain ran through Lea’s head. And yet… those teal eyes, Lea wondered why he’d ever found them ugly. They were quite beautiful, like pools of clear water.  
He was aware of Riku saying something.

“Invite me in, Lea!”

The words had hardly left his lips as Riku pushed them both in, the door slamming behind them.


	3. Revelations

Lea panted, looking between his door and Riku leaning beside it. For a moment he thought Riku would collapse, but with a jerked movement he slumped forward, sliding the bolt lock into place. There was a brief silence as both of them stood still, ears straining to hear any whispers around them. Nothing came.   
  
“What.. what the fuck is going on?” Lea hissed, his voice was shaky. He watched as Riku’s head jerked towards him, frowning. It seemed he’d forgotten Lea was with him.   
  
“They found her... and now they know I’m here, and what I know” Riku said silently.   
  
“They know? Who? The guy outside my house?” Lea talked frantically, glancing from window to door in fear he’d see a shadow outside. He stopped when he caught Riku’s eye. “This is... about the missing girls, isn’t it?” 

Riku didn’t seem surprised that Lea knew.       
  
“You shouldn’t have helped me” Riku replied. There was something measured in how he spoke, strained to the point of breaking.   
  
“Yea, well I did. You never showed, and I was in there till fucking 12:30 am, I fell asleep waiting! And then… I see you, collapsed in a back alley? What the fuck was I gonna do, just leave you?” Lea’s voice rose as he spoke. 

Riku looked up at him now, and Lea found himself stepping away. He was clutching at his left arm, and Lea could see his hand shaking, his heavy panting audible from meters away. “Are you ok?”   
  
A pause. “I’m not… healing properly”   
  


“Healing,” Lea said the word slowly, half hoping Riku would correct himself. 

A flicker of a smile. “Most people would have come to some conclusion by now. I know you’ve been looking into the kidnappings. It’s no surprise, seeing as your brother is a detective. Why not you? After what happened?”     
  


Lea didn’t reply, his heart suddenly in his throat, his body seized with shock. There was no way he could know.

“How do you-”   
  
“Letting you help me in the alley was bad enough” Riku murmured, suddenly    
  
“Well, I’m not sure what you're thinking, but I wasn’t just gonna leave you,” Lea said bluntly, Riku glanced up at him.   
  
“You’ll want me gone soon enough.” Great. 

Riku’s replies where doing nothing to disprove Lea’s fears. He could either ask him outright, or - his train of thought was cut off by a sound outside. He felt his heart start to race again.    
  
“Can he… get in?” Lea was hoping to whatever supernatural force was governing them that the person outside was bound by the same rules as Riku. When he didn’t get a reply, he realised Riku was staring at him again.   
  
Lea stared back.   
  
Suddenly, Lea couldn’t move. He was already getting taken in by that look again. Riku’s eyes were so teal, bright, it made it hard to think clearly. His head swam and knees grew weak, and suddenly he was being supported by Riku, and was immediately aware of a pressure against his neck.   
  
It reminded him of when you went to the dentist and the anesthesia kicked in. You could feel them tugging at your teeth, the pressure of the needles and drills, but the pain was numbed. Only instead of drills, Lea was aware of the fact there were two sharp fangs piercing his neck.   
  
Lea couldn’t do anything to fight back, Riku’s hypnosis, whatever it was, was fogging his mind and making him feel weak. Or maybe that was the bite itself. He’d have to ask, assuming he lived through the night.   
  
Luckily, Riku stopped just as the thought crossed his mind. He felt his teeth leave his neck with a tug. 

The whole situation made him feel sick. He didn’t know what vampire films and novels were doing, but there was nothing sexy about having someone suck blood out of the vein in your neck. He shuddered as he felt Riku’s tongue slide over the place he’d bitten him, wondering if he was going to faint.   
  
Sensing Lea’s reaction, Riku pushed him back, regarding him; and Lea nearly choked. Riku looked different. The dark circles around his eyes were gone, and the greyish tinge to his skin replaced by a soft pink; cheeks fuller. 

If he hasn’t seen the change he would’ve thought they were different people. Even his already bright eyes looked brighter, their hue taking a bluer colour than before. Lea was so busy marvelling the vampire’s beauty he nearly missed him speaking.   
  
“I’m not meant to feed on civilians” He said quietly, he sounded almost scared. It took Lea a moment to process his words.   
  
“You talk like a cop” Lea commented, words slightly slurred. Riku blinked, something that looked like a smile crossing his lips.   
  
“You shouldn’t be talking right now” Riku said with a dismissive sigh that stopped a torrent of words and questions from leaving Lea’s mouth. Riku picked him up. Literally swinging him into a bridal carry without so much as a huff. 

  
“Here” Riku said as he not - so - gently placed Lea on the couch, leaning back to look at him with an amused expression, their eyes meeting. Lea realised he was finding it hard to stop staring.   
  
He didn’t have a chance to look away, his eyes growing heavy as Riku’s powers affected him. He wondered if he’d wake up to find him gone, or his memories wiped, or if the police would find him drained of blood.   
  
Finally he wondered if he was in over his head, slumping on the couch as he fell asleep; the teal eyed vampire watching him.


	4. Friends

 

Lea woke in his bed. He felt hungover, his head thumping as his eyes adjusted to the light in his room. It must’ve been nearly midday, his curtains were hot from the sun. For a moment Lea just lay there, staring up at the roof and trying to sort his memories from the previous night. As he did, he felt a panic settle over him.   
  
Riku was a vampire.   
  
Lea shut his eyes again, thinking about the bite. Riku had done something to him, most of his memories from the night felt foggy, and he was having trouble trying to grasp the things they’d talked about.    
  
What the hell had he got himself caught up in?   
  
Lea sat up, looking around his small room. Living in student housing had it’s ups and downs, close to the uni, close to the main road, but cramped. With his door closed the room felt claustrophobic, and Lea wondered if Riku was still out there. 

 

He blinked then, something nagging at his tired brain. It was the middle of the day, could Riku even function right now? But then - how the hell had he gone to the monday class?   
  
Interest peaked, Lea got shakily out of his bed, noticing his jumper and jeans had been removed for him. Not incredibly happy to have been stripped by a man that was at least 500 years old, Lea pulled on his capri pants and a tank top, sighing at his reflection. There were two faint marks on his neck, so slight that even hickies would be more noticeable. How it had healed so fast, Lea didn’t know, but at least he knew it had been real.      
  
Hesitating at his door, Lea took a breath, pushing it open to peak into his living room. At first he didn’t see anything, just the dim light from his kitchen. All the blinds had been pulled, not that that was rare for Lea, and it looked like someone had thrown all his blankets onto the couch.   
  
Wait.   
  
It wasn’t just blankets on his couch, it was Riku. The vampire was curled up, head half covered by the red throw blanket. If he hadn’t been so angry with him for the night before, he would’ve found him cute. Gritting his teeth and walking to his fridge, Lea downed a bottle of a sports drink. He knew enough about blood loss to understand he needed to replenish his electrolytes... or whatever.   
  
He decided he wasn’t going to let Riku get away with sleeping on his couch without some kind of explanation. Lea flopped ungracefully down beside him, wondering if waking a sleeping vampire was really in his best interest. 

 

There was only one way to find out, so he nudged Riku’s shoulder, doing his best to hide that he was maybe a little intimidated by the ‘monster’. It didn’t take much to wake him up, a low grumble coming from under the blanket as Lea poked him.   
  
“What are you doing?” Riku asked, his voice sounded thick from sleep.   
  
“Waking you up -  I remembered there’s a vampire in my house and that he owes me big time for saving his ancient ass.” At this, Riku moved, head popping up from his blanket. He looked like a cat who’d just been sprayed by a water bottle, a reproachful glare leveled at Lea.   
  
“I’m not ancient” Riku sighed, sitting up slowly. Lea caught himself staring at the exposed skin of Riku’s chest, his shirt had come undone as he slept. “So, you remember... how are you feeling?”   
  
“Of course I remember, you bit me! I feel like I have a hangover.” Lea forced himself to look at Riku’s face instead of his body. It didn’t help much, he was still attractive. Why the fuck did he have to be so damn beautiful? Lea had rathered when he looked sickly - it was easier to be angry with him.   
  
“That’s… my fault. I’m sorry” Riku said softly. Lea blinked at him for clarification. “It’s when I bit you it... it’s hard to explain” He looked away, Lea wondering if Riku’s awkwardness was an act. He wasn’t buying it.   
  
“I was surprised I don’t have two ugly holes in my neck” Lea commented, drinking more of his energy drink. Riku gazed at him for a moment, sighing.   
  
“You're not going to leave me alone, are you?” Riku asked. Lea shook his head.   
  
“Not as long as you're crashing in my house…” Lea almost asked who gave him permission, but quickly realised Riku probably hadn’t had much choice. That man from the night before had been hanging around, at least he was safe inside.   
  
The vampire sighed, standing up slowly and stretching. Lea watched innocently, trying not to let his eyes hover at the curve of Riku’s back, or the exposed skin at his navel as his shirt rode up. 

 

Lea wondered if becoming a vampire meant you became better looking, or if it was a selective process which resulted in only attractive people being… made. Or however it happened. Lea added it to his list of questions.    
  
“Why is a vampire from the dark ages investigating disappearances in a small city like this?” Riku made a sound like a tired parent as soon as Lea opened his mouth.   
  
“You seem like you already have an idea, so why not tell me?” Damn. Riku was on to him.   
  
“Well -” Riku sighed. Rude. “WELL I’m guessing the girls are getting kidnapped by.. monsters? I dunno if they’re vampires too, but something like that”   
  
“Something like that is one way of saying it”   
  
“The guy from last night?”

 

Riku didn’t reply, instead averting his eyes to inspect the roof.   
  
“Hey - I said i’d help, and I also said I wanted to know what’s going on. You just drank like a large coke order of my blood, and I’m no charity. So.” Lea raised an eyebrow. Riku sighed, sitting down beside him and staring at his hands.   
  
“I’m not used to people I bite being… so... this…” Riku motioned to him, as if it should mean something.   
  
“I’m a nice guy” Lea cut in, crossing his arms. “Unless you're threatening my ability to pass a subject” as he glanced at Riku, the vampire gave a small laugh, his grin revealing two fangs. 

 

Even with the extra teeth, Riku’s smile was beautiful. Lea mentally slapped himself.   
  
“Yea… that was probably the worst subject to pick as a cover.” Riku admitted.   
  
“A cover?! So you ARE a cop. A supernatural cop? A vampire cop?” Lea grinned, the situation was crazy. But he was having fun, and Riku wasn’t as bad as he’d seemed.   
  
“Something like that” Riku replied, making Lea laugh.   
  
“Not allowed to tell?” Lea asked, Riku avoided his eye.   
  
“I’m more worried about making sure we both make it through this alive - and then I need to figure out what to do with you. You know too much already” Riku sighed, head in his hands. “I’ve really fucked up”   
  
Oh.   
  
“Hey - I mean, it’s not your fault I helped you -” Lea ruffled his hair nervously, watching Riku.   
  
“It’s not just you. Namine, they got to her... If you hadn’t helped me, I’d be dead, and no one else would know what i’ve found” They were both silent, Lea watching Riku as he gazed at the floor.   
  
“You know, this is the part where you tell me everything and monologue away for a few hours.”   
  
Riku smiled again. “I’m going back to where I was attacked, I need to try and find Namine… and find somewhere else to stay” Riku glanced at Lea. “Do you have a hoodie I can borrow?”   
  
“You mean the one you stripped off me last night? Sure!” Lea replied sarcastically. He watched as he was sure Riku blushed slightly, avoiding his gaze.   
  
“There was... Blood on it” He said softly.   
  
“There was probably a lot of things on it, now that you mention it.” Lea replied with a smirk, already rolling off the couch to find a clean one. He figured Riku planned to go outside - In the day time. 

 

He was interested in how this would go. He found him a random university hoodie. “It’ll be baggy on you, here” Lea said, throwing the hoodie haphazardly to Riku. He blinked as the vampire caught it without looking, turning to Lea as he pulled it over his head.   
  
“Thank you” He’d already pulled his boots back on, and was heading to the doorway. Lea followed. 

 

Riku shot him a horrified look. “You’re not coming with me”     
  
“Oh come on, I’ll be good company”     
  
“You really don’t understand what you’re getting yourself involved in” Riku sighed   
  
“If you really don’t want me to come why not just do that mind control thing from last night?” Lea pouted. If it wasn’t for him Riku wouldn’t be here right now, he could at least let him tag along.   
  
“It’s daytime, my powers aren’t as strong right now…” Riku frowned, but seeing Lea’s disappointment, his steely gaze soften a bit. “But I can’t stop you from, say, walking in the same direction as me, though”   
  
Lea blinked at Riku in surprise, he had that look again, like he was going to smile but it didn’t quite happen.   
  
Lea was excited, he hadn’t done anything like this in a long time, not since high school. He used to explore old buildings with his brother; It seemed like a long time ago, even if it had only been a few years. Somehow he’d forgotten how much he liked mysteries; and who could pass up investigating a crime scene with a vampire cop?   
  
The two of them walked down Lea’s street, Riku with the hood pulled over his head and glasses covering his eyes, his white hair puffing out from underneath.    
  
Lea couldn’t help looking around them nervously, he hadn’t forgotten the tall, yellow eyed man from the night before. He felt  shiver run through him as he thought about it. He was suddenly glad Riku hadn’t left him alone; he’d rather be outside with a supernatural cop than alone in his own house. 

 

Riku noticed his jitters, and broke the silence that had been hanging over them. “They won’t be out right now, don’t worry”   
  
“Yet here you are, dressed like a celebrity avoiding the paparazzi. If that’s all the protection you need, then...” Lea ruffled his hair nervously.   
  
“Their kind will get more than some bad sunburn. Anyway, you asked me about why you felt hungover before, do you still want to know?” Riku asked, Lea could see the flash of teal behind those dark glasses.   
  
“You're bad at changing the subject, but why not?”     
  
“It’s a venom.. and it can heal, numb - hurt, it has side effects, too.” Riku turned to him, opening his mouth. As he did, two fangs shot out from his gums. 

  
Lea jumped a little, and he could’ve sworn Riku’s lips twitched in a smile - at least he had a sense of humor. Lea focused in on the fangs, they were dripping, coated in a layer of fluid.   
  
“So that’s why I felt weird last night - and what about that thing you do with your eyes?” Lea was suddenly glad Riku was wearing dark glasses.   
  
“It’s called a Lure” Riku said simply. Lea stared at him.   
  
“Allure? Man, you vampires think a lot of yourselves”   
  
Riku’s mouth twitched again “You’re hilarious, but no, it’s Lure, and it’s a type of magic I suppose. It isn’t unique to my kind”   
  
“Lure, ok, I got it memorized. And… you mean to vampire kind?”   
  
“There are different types of ‘vampires’. I’m just one, the man trying to kill me last night was another.” Riku replied, dismissive.   
  
“Can I ask ya something?”   
  
“You keep asking me things and now you're looking for permission?” Riku replied, raising an eyebrow. Lea thought for a moment.   
  
“I figure if you’re part of some secret supernatural cop agency - and on a case - telling some random human like me everything might be against the rules or something.” Lea waved his bottle around as he spoke for emphasis.   
  
“Well.” Riku started, sighing again “For one, you helped me, and you didn’t have to and now you’re quite likely in danger. So like you said, I owe you.” Riku paused for a moment. “There is… one more thing. Usually Lure will erase memories, for some reason it hasn’t been working on you”   
  
“Weh?” Lea wasn’t sure he was hearing right, and frowned at Riku in confusion.   
  
“I’m not sure why.” Riku sighed, kicking a rock as he walked.   
  
“You sound disappointed” Lea pouted. So, Riku would’ve just erased his memory? He found himself looking back on all the times those bright eyes had stared at him for moments too long. In the alley after he hit him, in the lecture hall, the night before… Riku really didn’t want Lea to know anything about him, did he? Lea went quiet as Riku replied.   
  
“I don’t make a habit of letting humans figure out magic and monsters exist - in fact, it used to be my job to do the opposite” Riku replied, tugging his hoodie a little further down.   
  
“Used to be?” Lea asked, the sinking feeling that had started in his stomach replaced by curiosity. “So, what, are you a cop or not? - and don’t say ‘something like that’“   
  
“...Something like that?” Riku was smirking, his fangs seemed to have disappeared. Lea rolled his eyes.   
  
“I’ll get to know you yet. I mean, we are partners.” Lea grinned, undeterred. “You better actually plan on helping me with that assignment, by the way”   
  
“I can’t believe after everything you’re still worried about that. And no, you won’t be learning any more about me.”   
  
“Aw, come on. I already know you so well. Ancient, hates history, has pretty eyes-”   
  
“Enough.” Riku cut him off, his voice taking an edge that made Lea stop mid word. “We’re not friends, partners, or even from the same century. I’m here so I can fix my mistakes, including letting you learn so much. As soon as I find Namine, your memories can be changed and I can stop babysitting you” Riku stalked ahead, crossing the street to reach the alleyway. Lea stayed back, something tight catching in his throat. He didn’t know why he was so upset, surprised even.   
  
Riku was right, he wasn’t his friend and this wasn’t a game.


	5. Fear

Lea watched Riku pace. They were standing in the alleyway Lea had found him, and every now and then the quiet vampire would pause, staring at an otherwise nondescript point on the ground or cocking his head at the alleyway wall. Lea wasn’t sure what he was looking for against the grimy brick, but assumed he must be able to see or sense something he couldn’t.

 

Lea didn’t care to ask, he was brooding.   
  
Well, not brooding exactly, but looking as unhappy as he could while also being incredibly interested in what Riku was up to. Knowing he considered his presence “babysitting” - and intended to alter his memories in someway - wasn’t going to deter Lea at all. It wasn’t every week you ran into a vampire cop and got pulled into their mess. Anyway, Lea intended to hang the fact he’d saved Riku’s life over his head for as long as the guilt would last.   
  
Not having much else to do, Lea had been studying him more than ever, and had started coming to conclusions about the vampire. He was shorter than him, chin only just reaching his shoulders, his face much younger looking than Lea had first realised. Compared to when they’d first met, the Riku right now looked no older than 17; the tired and sickly look from earlier had been masking his youth. Lea wondered if that was what happened if vampires didn’t eat… feed… whatever. Ever since biting Lea, Riku has seemed much more lively.   
  
“So what exactly happened to you last night? I found ya cause the night guard saw you leave with some blonde girl. Good thing you're so... memorable” Lea couldn’t help but sigh at his own words. Maybe he was brooding, just a bit. Riku didn’t seem to notice or care about his pouting, though.   
  
“It’s a long story,” Riku replied, touching the wall.   
  
“I know you don’t want to talk about yourself, but you could at least keep me up to date. Maybe I can help.” Lea sighed, folding his arms at Riku. The vampire hesitated for a moment, before rolling his shoulders and turning to him.      
  
“The more you involve yourself the more danger you’ll be in, Lea” Riku replied, pulling back his hood, glasses already discarded; the shade from the buildings apparently enough to mask him from the sun. Lea wasn’t sure he trusted him enough to meet his eye.   
  
“Seems like I already am in danger” Lea said, raising an eyebrow.   
  
“If you’re going to be so insistent,” Riku shook his head in defeat. “Namine is a witch, the sister of a friend of mine. She... she’s involved with the missing girls.” Riku spun his glasses in his hands as he spoke. “She came to me, to try and warn me, but we were attacked. I was too weak to protect us.” He glanced up at Lea “...and then you found me. I don’t… I don’t remember what happened” He looked, just for a moment, upset. Lea blinked.   
  
Namine. Namine was a witch...? Lea had seen enough in the last 24 hours to believe what Riku was saying was the truth, even if he didn't entirely understand what it meant. If she was connected to the missing girls, there was no wonder Riku wanted to find her.   
  
“Do you think Namine is the reason you don’t remember?” Lea asked, looking around the alley. The fact Riku couldn’t remember anything, even standing in the spot he was attacked, was telling.   
  
“That’s exactly what I think” Riku replied, giving Lea a strange look.”Most magic shouldn’t work on my kind, but her’s would. I just.. I can’t imagine why she’d want me to forget” He shook his head, meeting Lea’s eye as if he’d find the answer there.   
  
“Could it be to do with the missing girls? How was she connected?” Lea asked, trying to make sense of it. All the girls were connected somehow... to a witch? Girls... to a witch. The girls! Lea’s eyes widened “Wait, those girls... they’re all…” Riku was staring at him yet again, and he found himself going quiet. For a moment, Riku didn’t speak.   
  
“You’re very good at filling in the blanks, Lea.” Riku cocked his head, as if assessing him.   
  
“Well.. my brother is a detective or whatever. Maybe it’s in my blood” Lea replied dismissively.   
  
“Maybe.” Riku pulled his hood back on, sunglasses following. “Come with me” Lea hesitated for a moment, eyes following Riku as he strolled towards the university.       
  
“Where are you going!? Everything will be closed right now, it’s a saturday...” Riku gave him a little wave and continued on. Rolling his eyes, Lea followed, running to catch up.   
  
“I’m getting my bike, and then we’re going to go find someone who can help me get my memories back” He said, walking faster as they passed through the atrium.   
  
“What? So I was right? The girls are witches? And wait, what do you mean we?!” Lea was almost jogging to keep up with him, Riku walked unnaturally fast.   
  
“You want to help so badly? You’re coming with me in case I get hurt again” Riku replied, rounding the corner to the university’s underground parking lot.     
  
“What-? How can I possibly...” Lea went quiet, realising the implications. What, was he just some bag of blood Riku could use to heal? Great. Well, if it meant he got to tag along, then… “Deal.”   
  
They walked in silence then, Riku pulling off his hood and glasses once they were past the gates. It was cold in the underground lot, the sloping ramps lead down several poorly lit floors. Lea had never been in one, finding driving in the city too much of a hassle. He quickly decided he didn’t like it; it was too quiet right now, no students using it on a saturday. Riku didn’t seem flustered by the atmosphere, though, and hurried to the lifts on the other end of the large space. Lea imagined it was at least the size of 5 basketball courts.       
  
When they reached them however, there was no response to the clicking of the button. Riku tried twice, just to be sure. Lea found himself crossing his arms in nervousness as he looked around them, the dark edges of the lot suddenly seemed more pronounced.   
  
“How far down is your bike?” Lea asked, standing closer to Riku. At least there was some comfort in being accompanied by a vampire. If Riku noticed his jitters he, as usual, ignored them.   
  
“Just two levels. Let's go.”   
  
Riku was walking faster. Lea noticed immediately, unable to keep up without jogging slightly every so often. Even when he watched his movements he couldn’t figure out how he was so quick; Lea cut it down to a vampire thing.   
  
The two of them were halfway across the lot to the next ramp, when Lea felt a prickle on his neck, a cold trickle of fear running through him. On instinct he grabbed Riku’s arm. The vampire spun, surprised by Lea’s sudden grip.   
  
“What’s wrong?” He asked, his eyes seemed to be glowing. He wasn’t happy about being touched.   
  
“I don’t know, but this feeling… I think we’re being followed” He said low, letting go of Riku’s arm but standing closer than he’d previously dared. Riku blinked, not questioning him but looking around slowly.

 

His eyes flickered unnaturally in the dim lighting. As if to confirm Lea’s worst fears, Riku suddenly kicked his feet from under him, catching him mid fall. Lea didn’t have time to protest.  
  
“Hold on” Riku hissed, and then they were moving. At first Riku was just running, it seemed normal, until Lea begun to feel air whip around his hair. They where going fast, very fast, he could swear Riku seemed to be gliding somehow, as if they were caught on a current.   
  
Before Lea could get used to the sensation, Riku stopped in front of a chained up black motorcycle. He put him down, flashing one more look around them. Sparing no moment to speak to him, and Lea watched in shock as Riku broke the chains with his hands, tearing the links as if they were plastic.     
  
“Holy fuck” whispered Lea, suddenly feeling ill. There was something wrong, the air in the lot was getting colder. He backed up towards Riku as he watched the otherwise empty space around them. Some cars were parked, other bikes, the lights flickering every now and again. Lea could feel bile rise in his throat. He was terrified.   
  
Lea had never been one to believe in things he couldn’t see; not ghosts, gods, nothing. But right now, all he could see were shadows on the edges of his vision, and he was shaking. As if on queue, Riku suddenly grabbed his shoulder.   
  
“Jesus!” Lea hissed, heart nearly beating out of his chest.   
  
“Put this on, and get on!” Riku snarled, making Lea’s mouth promptly shut.   
  
Lea didn’t need to be told twice, he followed Riku to the bike, watching as he hopped on; the sound of the whirring engine echoing around the concrete walls. It was then Lea realised he was holding a bike helmet, and noticed Riku had put on a new jacket; leather with yellow accents. He wore it over the hoodie, his own matching helmet already on; a discarded backpack lay on the floor with the chains.   
  
Trying to keep his hands from shaking, Lea jumped on behind him, throwing on the helmet and unabashedly wrapping his hands around Riku’s waist. He hoped to any entity that may be listening that he wasn’t about to die.   
  
Without warning, the bike revved, wheels spinning as they shot down the aisle of cars. Lea was holding on for dear life, thighs gripping the bike as Riku sped them back up the ramps. He held his breath as they made their way across the dark lot, even on the bike his neck was still prickling. He raised his head, looking over Riku’s shoulder to see what he saw. He wished he hadn’t.   
  
It was him.   
  
Standing in between them and the last ramp was the hooded man, his yellow eyes evident even from their current distance. Lea could feel the muscles in Riku’s back tighten. He didn’t slow down though, the sound of the bikes high whine filling the air as he pushed it to go faster.   
  
Lea gripped Riku tighter as they neared the man, he was cocking his head, making no attempt to move. At least it seemed that way. Lea blinked. He was gone. The bike shot up and around the ramp with an expert tilt, and Lea had to force himself not to look back.   
  
The gate had already been opened, well, forced open. It was bent upwards, twisted and distorted, like a peeled back can lid. Lea’s stomach turned as they sped away from the lot and the university.


	6. Interlude

  
Lea spent the next few hours watching the cityscape recede into suburban towns, into long stretches of farmland and forest, small rural communities becoming father between. The sun was starting to set behind the trees, and the road went on forever, distant mountains on the horizon never getting any closer.  Riku had offered to leave him home, rushing them back to his apartment as soon as they’d escaped the parking lot.

He had quickly changed into bike suitable attire, along with grabbing his laptop and bag. His laptop had all his research into the case so far, and soon it would be filled with notes on monsters as well - if Riku let him get away with it. The vampire was too flustered to argue with Lea. He kind of wished he had, or at least given him a hint to how long they’d be travelling.   
  
After an hour he’d given up trying to be polite, his chest now resting against the Riku’s back as he grew tired, hands wrapped around his middle. He felt warm, and Lea figured he had no right to complain. Considering the things that had happened to them last 24 hours... It had been less than a day since he’d fallen asleep in that library. It felt like it’d been much longer.  
  
Lea shut his eyes, sick of looking at the same dried out trees and darkening forests. He thought about the hooded man, foggy like a dream. He was hunched over, head tilted towards him. Lea tried to remember what he wore; the hooded jacket was leather, pants he couldn’t recall.. Riku had said he was another type of vampire, what exactly did that mean? Were some more monster-like than others? Lea had seen Riku’s eyes glow, but they were brighter, clearer than the hawk like orbs the other possessed.  
  
He squeezed Riku a little tighter, heart fluttering at the thought of those bright teal eyes. He was slowly starting to like the vampire; Even if the way he acted was reserved and stoic, flashes of emotions broke through randomly. Lea found himself daydreaming about what Riku might’ve been like as a human. For a man that had knowledge of a 16th century king, Riku had to be at least 500 years old.  
  
Of course, thinking about Riku bought back other thoughts too, the memory of the night before, the feeling of fangs piercing his neck. Wincing, Lea stopped his daydreaming, he was being stupid. Riku was a vampire, and he was a human. There was no point in trying to get close, just like he had said. Lea was here to uncover the mystery at hand, not befriend a monster.     
  
The mystery - Lea’s thoughts on it seemed to change every time he ran through what he knew. From his own research he knew the police were withholding information from the public, and now there was a chance it had something to do with witches. Riku had never confirmed or denied his theory, but Lea was sure he was right. If Namine was missing too, then it was safe to bet the hooded man was behind all this; and if he was, he was trying to hide it from other vampires like Riku, too. Why else would he try and kill him?  
  
Sighing, Lea opened his eyes, heart thumping as he realised the sun had almost completely set now, darkness was beginning to settle. He tilted his head to look around; to his surprise, lights of buildings were pulling into view. He hoped that this was the place Riku wanted to go. He soon got his answer.  
  
They pulled onto the turn off, following the signs for the exit. Why had they travelled all the way to a rural town in the middle of the forests? Lea shifted in his seat behind Riku, suddenly much more awake. He wondered where they would go, it was getting dark, and he had begun to fear the lack of sunlight more than he had just a day ago.  
  
As if reading his mind, Riku stopped, turning to park in front of what looked like the spookiest hotel Lea had ever seen; it was old and brick,vines growing up the front. Just what you’d expect from an out of the way town.    
  
It felt strange to stand after so long, but he quickly got his bearings, doing a slow turn of the area. The parking lot was gravel, trees surrounded the fence line. The hotel was neighboured by a pub, and then a petrol station opposite. Lea was glad for the extra light in the thick night.     
  
“Come on” said a tired voice close behind him, Lea turned. Riku had taken off his helmet, and was leaning against his bike. He looked exhausted, and Lea remembered he’d just spent his whole day riding here. In the sunlight. As a vampire.  
  
“Yea, course.” Lea pulled his own helmet off, following him to the entrance. He almost asked if Riku needed to be invited inside a place like this, but the vampire pushed past the front doors without issue.    
  
A tired looking woman was waiting at the check in desk, watching them as they approached. Lea wondered if he’d have to use his ID,  but Riku pulled out a very real looking drivers licence and credit card. The woman raised her eyebrows at them as Riku took a key. Three nights, shared room.  
  
Lea made to protest, he wasn’t sure he wanted to share a room with a vampire, and certainly not for three nights. But Riku quickly caught his eye. He didn’t look happy, his eyes looked dark, and the hollow look to his cheeks had returned. Lea went quiet, choosing to glare back at him as fiercely as he could. Once they were out of earshot of the woman, Lea spoke up.  
  
“Three nights?!” He asked Riku’s back, choosing to address the less offensive question. The vampire shot him a glare over his shoulder. Lea was suddenly aware that he’d agreed to travel several hours to a remote location with a vampire; and now they were at a spooky looking hotel, sharing a room for several days.  
  
“I’ll explain when we get inside, I don’t like it anymore than you do.” Riku responded, Lea could see his fists were clenched.    
  
Lea almost whined ‘but I have uni!’ but realised it sounded childish as soon as he thought it. Instead, he broached another question. “So you are gonna tell me stuff?”  
  
Riku didn’t respond, instead fingering the keys to unlock their room. To Lea’s relief, there were two beds afterall. Although as he shut the door behind them he had to wonder what was going to happen next. Riku didn’t seem interested in talking to him, or even making eye contact, he’d beelined to sit on the bed closest to the door, and was examining his phone. Lea stood, feeling lost on what to do next. There was only one thing for this.  
  
“So, can you tell me what’s going on now? Why that yellow eyed freak is after us? Why we’re in this town in the middle of nowhere? You know I’m gonna be extra useless if you don’t tell me anything”  
  
Riku sighed, murmuring something like ‘no reception’ before putting his phone down and looking up at him. Lea was struck with just how tired he looked in the lighting of the hotel, the effects of staying awake during the day had clearly taken it’s toll on him. Lea wondered how often he did things like this; was going to midday lectures his equivalent of an all nighter? He was so caught up in Riku’s appearance that he hardly heard him speak.  
  
“I need your help,” his voice was quiet, and Lea found his questions die in his mouth.  
  
“Ok..” Lea tugged absently at his bag, wishing he could get out his laptop and take notes on the whole situation. Memorize the facts, ask the right questions. Studying history, religion, cults, all had some level of mystery to it in his opinion. Even if this wasn’t school, it didn’t mean he couldn’t apply the same logic. Riku tilted his head at Lea’s fidgeting.  
  
“You can sit down - I won’t bite” It took Lea several long moments to process Riku’s words. Mainly because the idea of this vampire making a joke was the last thing he ever expected. All it took was the teasingly raised eyebrow from Riku for Lea to realise it had, in fact, been a joke. He couldn’t help it, he smiled. The absurdity of his situation was hitting harder than he thought. At least Riku wasn’t here to eat him.  
  
Lea sat beside Riku on the bed, kicking off his shoes and crossing his legs absently. He was aware of teal eyes watching his every move, and tried not to let himself do anything embarrassing. Up until then, he and Riku had interacted on a strictly you-saved-my-life, i’ll put up with you way. That wasn’t going to work anymore. They had to try and get along.  
  
“So?” Lea asked expectantly, ready to finally learn something. Riku was leaning against the headboard, quiet eyes meeting his.  
  
“I’m not going to pause for questions until the end, so-”  
  
“-I got it” Lea interjected, tapping some keys for emphasis. Riku blinked slowly before sighing, gazing down at the patterned bed covers. It felt to Lea as if his guard had just lowered, the invisible bubble of stoic hostility dropped in that moment. Riku looked about as human as Lea felt. If he didn’t know he was a vampire, he’d think he was a very depressed high schooler. It unnerved him, but didn’t stop him from freezing with attention as Riku began to speak.  
  
“12 months ago I was an enforcer for the NaCo - Nonhuman Collaboration - It’s about as much as you guessed, I was an officer than helped keep track of nonhuman beings living in this state; that includes immigration, laws, co operative living with humans.” (At this point Lea’s mouth was slightly opened from the sheer amount of revelations he was experiencing.)

“My partner and I were assigned a case in regards to a group of Stri - a type of vampire I suppose - that were suspected to be behind a series of assaults. Stri are… they are shapeshifters, their true form is quite monstrous, but can be hidden if they intake enough life energy.” At this Lea raised an eyebrow, motioning to his neck. “Yea, blood. Though not just human blood. Blood and hearts of other non humans is just as good - if not better. It’s why they’re so dangerous” Lea couldn’t help but interject.  
  
“So you’re not..?”  
  
“I’m not a Stri. Stri are born the way they are, from the hearts of those who are taken by dark magic.” Riku paused, as if wondering whether to elaborate. “I’m… half way. I suppose i’m a vampire in the most modern sense of the word. But I cannot shapeshift or move through shadows. I’m just a human cursed with longevity and a reliance on blood to live.” He spat the words out, his brows furrowed. Lea felt sad, he didn’t know what to say to someone who clearly didn’t want to be an immortal monster of the night. He waited for Riku to continue, too self conscious to type anything he’d learned.    
  
“My partner and I thought we had the case closed, we’d removed several of them from the streets. But we, the entire group, underestimated them. They’re well organised, like a crime syndicate. I suppose they might as well be, only instead of drugs it’s people.”  
  
“So.. why are you investigating this on your own? The kidnappings?” Lea wondered, he felt like he was in some kind of crime drama. Only supernatural, and much more frightening. There was a long pause as Riku searched for an answer, trying to find the words.  
  
“...I was fired,” he said finally. There was something in his tone that told Lea it wasn’t the whole story. He wasn’t about to pry. “These missing girls are in the hands of monsters right now because I fucked up. Finding them… finding the ones taking them, that’s my goal.” They were both silent for a moment, Lea processing what he’d just been told. So many questions, likely for another time.  
  
“Then why do you need my help? Aren’t I just some human you need to baby sit?” He tried to say it lightly, but it came out harsher than Lea intended. A glimmer of a smile crossed Riku’s face.  
  
“Since you rattled me in the library, I realised I couldn’t use Lure on you. It wouldn’t work, not like it’s meant to. Not only that, but you can sense us. Non humans. No normal kid should be able to feel a Stri sneaking up on them” Riku met his eye. Lea gulped, there was something dangerous in that look, but he couldn't read it. “I think you might be able to help me find someone, someone who's good at blending in with humans.”    
  
“How? Who?”  
  
“Her name is Xion, she’s one of three sisters. Three witches. Namine is is the oldest, the Memory witch. Xion is the second, the Puppet. Her appearance changes depending on who looks at her.”  
  
“Wait you said three, then who's the third?” Lea asked. Riku’s enthusiasm died, his shoulders slumping at the thought.  
  
“The third.. Is my old partner. A witch of Hearts, emotions. An Empath. She was the first to go missing, and I need to find her… I’d… I’m willing to risk my freedom and my life to do it. She’s all I have left of my ties to humanity.”  
  
“Riku..” Lea stared, Riku looked like he might cry.

  
“Her name is Kairi, and I’m the reason she’s missing”


	7. Doubts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> It's been a while, hasn't it? 
> 
> Bound to you was always a fic I planned to finished, but when I last left it, I felt overwhelmed with how much was yet to come. 
> 
> I feel my writing skills have improved greatly since I last posted, and so it's less tiring on me to write and quickly proofread now. 
> 
> I wanna thank all my friends, especially Nymph and Ela for being so encouraging and supportive ;w; 
> 
> Anyway, without further ado, 
> 
> Lets continue,

Lea stood out like a sore thumb. Bright red hair, college clothing, the people milling about the market gave him side glances that they didn’t even attempt to conceal. Which, he supposed, was to be expected of some country town that still sold produce in fields every other weekend.

He wandered through the makeshift stalls, not quite looking at what was to be sold - but, instead, the people selling them. He scratched at the back of his neck, knowing Riku was watching from afar through the tingle at the back of his neck. It didn’t quite equal to the creeping feeling he got from the  _ Stri _ , but it was enough to notice. 

“I think you’ll be able to help me find her,” Riku had explained, pulling out a photo from his wallet, it’s colour a faded sepia. Three girls stood together, all eerily similar, save for their hair colour and dress. One was blonde and paler, no doubt Namine. The next, in the centre, perhaps a brunette - grinning wide, and the last - a girl with jet black hair. 

_ Xion _

The witch he had to find, somehow, when Riku had failed to. He wasn’t going to complain - it felt good to be needed for more than his blood, or to be a burden due to his inerasable knowledge. 

He slid behind to stalls, cutting between the backs of parked cars and racks of handmade items to reach the next row of sellers. Looking up and down, he wondered how he’d disguise himself were he a shapeshifting witch. Younger? Older? 

Humming, he stopped to inspect some jams, the old lady attending smiling at him. He wasn’t even sure how he’d know when he’d found her. If what Riku said was true, he had some magical ability himself, not he fully believed it. Being able to know someone was watching you was just part of biology, wasn’t it? Prey instincts and all that. And perhaps his stubbornness just made him immune to brainwashing. 

Not that his worries mattered, as Riku had already dismissed his attempts at rational thinking with a scoffing laugh. That vampire... his behaviour still confused him. He’d been awake all night, and was now again daywalking, apparently with no need for sleep unless it was absolutely necessary. 

_ “Stop daydreaming.”  _

Lea nearly fell into the stall display. He spun around, finding no one there but a few other market goers. He was sure he’d heard Riku - his annoying, sharp tones speaking directly into his ear. Was he losing his mind? 

_ “Don’t look so surprised, I drank your blood, I can speak to you like this if I wish. Now, hurry up and find her. The market will be finishing soon.” _

Oh, great. So he could read his mind now? Lea pouted, but did as he was told, continuing past the stalls.  _ ‘Could’ve told me you where invading my head,’ _ he thought bitterly. He waited, to his surprise, receiving no reply from the vampire. So, he  _ couldn’t _ read his mind? Maybe it was just Lea hearing his? 

_ Interesting _ he noted, passing a stall full of flower arrangements. The girl pulling ribbons around the closest bunch smiled at him, her dark hair half hidden behind a wide brimmed hat. He returned it, about to continue on, when he was suddenly seized with a feeling of knowing. 

Black hair. 

He doubled back, returning to greet her with a smile. “Hey, I couldn’t help but notice your arrangement. Do you have anything good for couples?” He smiled, glancing about the rows of potted ferns and more. “I mean - not that we’re a couple yet.” 

He laughed, and internally smirked when she grinned back, her smile mirroring the one of the dark haired girl in the photo. “Yes, there’s plenty of ways to say how you feel through flowers,” she pulled back from the display, wiping her hands on her apron. 

Lea noted her clothes. They were peculiar, seeming far more like something his grandmother would wear. He thought for a moment, and nodded. “I figured you’d be able to help, I didn’t think i’d ever find someone my age in a place like this.” 

That gave her pause, and Lea caught the flicker of shock that passed across her face. So, was he the only one seeing her like this? “Are you ok?” He added, feigning concern, playing his part of an innocent lovebird. 

“Yes! I was just surprised, I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you my age,” she smiled, now more guarded than before, and Lea felt himself wondering just how old that could be. “What brings you all the way out here, anyway?” As she spoke, she walked further into the stall, stopping to gather some flowers from the stands. 

“Oh, i’m heading back to the city, I was just passing through on my way home. Visiting family.” 

“I see,” she smiled, and motioned for him to come closer. 

He found himself pausing. Going further into the stall could be a bad idea - he’d be out of Riku’s line of sight, wherever he was. But then - if he refused, that would be all the more suspicious, and scaring her off would make finding her again even harder. Swearing internally, he followed her in with a smile, glancing at the flowers she was holding.

“Those are nice,” he commented, motioning to the pretty blue flower, trying to keep things natural, to bring her guard down again. “I know flowers have meaning, what are these?” 

The witch gazed at him for a moment, before smiling. “This is a violet,” she explained, twirling it slowly, it’s yellow centre contrasting with it’s vivid petals, “It means loyalty, faithfulness, to always be there for someone. To give this to someone means you promise to be there for them, no matter what.” 

Lea stared, eyebrows raised. “I… didn’t realise they could get so deep,” he joked, somewhat taken off guard. Xion continued to stare at him, an unreadable look in her gaze, before putting the flower back, her fingers delicate.  

“Why don’t you tell me more about the source of your affection?” She turned back to him, smiling, “If I know more about how you feel, I can pick something suited to you.” 

“I-” Lea felt his cheeks turning red. At Xions prodding, he’d immediately thought of Riku, the image of him sitting on his couch, shirt pulled up to his navel. He swallowed, trying to keep composure. “I don’t - I’m not sure,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck absently. How  _ did _ he feel about Riku? “T-they’re my partner for a university class. I found them annoying at first, but, now we’ve been working together, i’m starting to feel differently. I realised I want to help them as much as I can.” 

“I see,” Xion replied, nodding thoughtfully. “And how do you think they feel about you?” 

Lea’s mind fumbled yet again. He couldn’t answer that, could he? He didn’t want to think about it - the reality that, even though Riku was now willing to share more with him, it was only because he’d found a use for him. Because Lea could see through magic, or whatever. He found himself frowning. “I think they see me as a hassle, to tell you the truth.” He laughed dryly, realising he’d completely blown his facade as a lovebird. “You know what - I’m really not sure why I came here, I’m sorry.” 

He turned, planning to leave and signal he’d found her, at the very least. His mind was buzzing at him, running back through the past 48 hours with a distinct feeling of indignity. Before he could step out of the stall, a hand grabbed his. 

“Wait.” He looked back, and Xion was gazing at him intensely, her grip unnaturally strong. “Be sure you don’t confuse your urge to prove yourself with affection.”  

“I-” 

“You can tell Riku to meet me tonight, the house is on the edge of town, with the garden of blue flowers.” 

Lea’s heart nearly stopped, and he stared at her, skin prickling.  _ She knew the whole time, - she - _

“I’ll be waiting for you.” 

Suddenly, Lea was back outside the stall, his head dizzy and light. Xion was nowhere in sight. He stood there, feeling dazed, like he’d just woken from a dream, and took a moment to gather himself. He needed to call Riku, to tell him what had happened. 

Before he could even reach for his pocket, a hand grabbed his shoulder.    
  


“Lea!” It was Riku, his hood up, a pair of dark glasses half obscuring his teal eyes. He looked like a hooligan. 

“Jesus, how many times today are people gonna grab me and freak me out?” Lea groaned, trying not to show how shaken he was. “I thought you were talking to me through your mind powers now,” he said, scoffing somewhat. 

Riku made a face, his mouth twisting, before pulling Lea aside and out of the way of the crowd. “I  _ tried,  _ I lost sight of you and couldn’t sense you. Was it Xion? Are you ok?” His voice was tense, and Lea tried not to overthink the touch on his shoulder. 

“I’m fine, she just - asked me a bunch of weird questions and then cryptically told me to tell you to meet her at the ‘house on the edge of town with a garden full of blue flowers,’” he explained, doing his best to mimic her floaty way of speaking. 

Riku was quiet for a moment, searching Lea’s eye intently. “I see,” he went quiet again, and then released his hand from Lea’s shoulder, removing his glasses to rub his eyes wearily. “I suppose she knew I was here. I was foolish to think she wouldn’t be watching.” 

Lea was quiet, not sure how to respond to Riku’s self depreciation. Eventually, the vampire spoke again. “In some ways, i’m glad, this means I can rest until nightfall, but…” He paused, suddenly looking stern again. “I told you to be cautious. You shouldn’t have let her trap you so easily.” 

“I-” Lea’s first instinct was to apologise for being careless - for putting himself in danger, but then - his thoughts turned back his worries from earlier, and his chest tightened with anger. “I’m not the expert here! I’m not the one that decided hanging out in a university was a good cover, and definitely not one that could endanger innocent people. But then, what would I know?”  

He was fuming, and could see Riku’s expression change behind his glasses. “I don’t want to hear what you’re going to say. Just - go, sleep, or whatever it is you do. I’m going to go find some coffee.” He turned to leave, pausing as he looked back to the silent vampire, voice tight, “And don’t you dare follow me. I’ll be able to tell, remember?”  

And with that, he stormed off into the crowded market. 


	8. Separation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lea and Riku spend time to themselves. Riku does some prying, and Lea finds himself off the beaten track.

Riku watched Lea go, his heart heavy. He followed the sight of his bright hair through the crowds for as long as he could, before sighing and pushing his glasses back up his nose.

So, that was how things were going to be. It hadn't taken long for him to alienate Lea, despite his best efforts. Despite trying to open up, to drop the walls he often put up. He wondered what Kairi would say, were she there. She'd probably remind him that humans didn't like being treated like children.

Not that Riku could help it. He'd lost so many people in his life, it was hard not to be protective of what he had.

And humans could be so damn careless.

Knowing better than to go against Lea's wishes and follow him, he made his way back to the hotel, body protesting as he walked along the sun drenched streets, aching in reminder that he hadn't fed nearly enough to withstand being awake in the day.

How was one meant to ask a human for blood? “Oh, Lea. I know I'm already asking a lot of you, but would it be alright if I sucked on your neck again?” Riku chided himself out loud, chuckling dryly. It wasn't going to happen.

When he finally made it back to the hotel, it was already twelve in the afternoon. 6 hours rest until sunset wouldn't be enough, but he'd have to make do. He lay down, curtains drawn and blankets pulled up over him, Riku restlessly willed himself into slumber.

He never seemed to dream, rather, replay memories in his head, past and present threaded together randomly into cloudy scenes. Kairi turning in her seat as they drove through the city, grinning at him, a coffee in hand. The face of his best friend of centuries ago, blurred and faded. A crying little girl screaming at him as he pulled her into a car.

“You need to stop trying to do everything by yourself.” Kairi's voice echoed around him, and he turned, only to find Lea there, his face pulled into an angry frown.

Riku woke up.

He groaned, glancing about him and reaching for his phone. It was 6:30, he'd need to meet Xion soon, but also…

He opened messenger, finding Lea's profile and quickly typing. _I don't know where you are, but be careful after dark._

He watched it send, and waited a few anxious moments to see if Lea would reply. No response. No read symbol on his message. Riku willed himself to keep calm, having to trust Lea's own skills in self preservation.

So far, the human had surprised him. He’d dragged him two blocks to his apartment while being stalked by a stri. He’d kept his own after he’d fed off him, brushing it off quickly, so quickly Riku was sure he’d known his true nature well before that night. Not to mention, his ability to fill in the blanks of the investigation.

Riku glanced at Lea’s laptop, left by the bedside from the night before. Prying wasn’t something he did often, but he wanted to know how much the human had figured out - about him, and about the case. He opened it, already knowing the password from his observations.

_Gotitmemorized._

The screen opened to were Lea had left it, a word document full of a surprising amount of notes. Riku was impressed. He scanned it quickly, realising that this was only Lea's deductions from the night before. Not only had he written everything mentioned down word for word, but he'd added his own comments to it. Riku's eyes widened.

_Riku: Not Stri. Can’t “shapeshift or move through shadows” (Implying others can.) (Former) Supernatural vampire cop for Na-Co? - which means there’s a whole group of people/beings governing witches and stuff?  Kairi was Riku’s partner, and I feel like he’s implying she was taken by the stri after they failed to properly stop them._

_If he lost his job, what did he do? Obvs something to do with this investigation. But that means he’s acting on his own, and like my brother says, cops with a personal vendetta are the most dangerous._

Riku frowned, his stomach turning with shame. Lea’s assumptions weren’t wrong, and the fact he was so transparent to the human scared him. He relied too often on Lure to stop people from getting close. But Lea. He couldn’t, and he had no choice but to watch as he figured him out like a puzzle piece.

Sighing inwardly, he tapped at the minimised folder icon, the screen opening up to reveal several more word documents. There was no way he’d be able to read them all with the time he had left, but… he hovered the mouse over the file titled *witches*, not sure why he was hesitating.

It opened, Riku again taken aback by the amount of information Lea had managed to gather in such a short time. Sure, he’d been tapping away for a while before sleeping, but 7 pages was ridiculous -

_*You should give humans more credit.*_

Riku shut his eyes, Kairi’s voice sifting through his thoughts like a whisper. “You’re right,” he murmured, and scrolled through Lea’s notes carefully.

_*Three witches. Sounds like macbeth, or the fates, if we go back even further. Sisters, too. Something tells me there’s more to them than just Riku’s old partner. Which means them being taken by the bad guys is really bad news.”*_

Riku reread it several times, considering the way Lea’s writing sounded like him, how his personality slipped through, even when he was putting his thoughts down in written word. His notes reflected his major - history and anthropology. Most humans would see three witches and think of _Charmed_ , Lea thought of the fates. He was smart, but not big headed. He had put so much into something that had nothing to do with him, really. He was…   
  
Riku groaned inwardly. He wasn’t meant to feel this way about a human. Lea was just an overzealous kid, and he’d end up getting hurt if Riku kept involving him any further.

Closing the laptop, Riku clenched his jaw. It was time to visit Xion.

 

* * *

  


Lea had been exploring the town, it's main street a short block with the usual combination of a pub, supermarket, and church. A disappointing discovery when all he wanted was a nice coffee to brood over.

Still early afternoon, and feeling increasingly frustrated with himself and his predicament, he set himself on a walk down one of the many tree lined streets. Each house was a block apart, with small paddocks containing chickens or sheep separating their fence lines.

He groaned. He hadn't intended to snap at Riku, he hadn't meant to get in the way, and he was sure the vampire wouldn't understand his reasons. How would he explain to Riku that he earnestly wanted to help? How could he convince him - show him that he could be of use outside of the so called powers he still doubted he possessed.

He kicked a rock, watching it bounce haphazardly across the uneven sidewalk.

_All he sees when he looks at me is some kid - someone he needs to babysit, to put up with because he has too._

_He's just like Isa._

Lea stopped, suddenly aware that he was clenching his fist so tight that his nails were digging into the skin of his hand. He rarely thought about his brother - half brother. Things between them had reached such a point that Lea wasn't even sure he was still family. If he even belonged.

“I'm an idiot.” He muttered, shutting his eyes. Was he just doing this because it felt so familiar? Because Riku was a cop - because it reminded him of what he was missing?

Or, was it something else?

Lea opened his eyes, momentarily disoriented. Perhaps he was imagining it, but the trees seemed to have moved, the path more overgrown. He looked around, heart thumping in his ears. The road stretched out behind him, much further than he had walked. The rock he had kicked was nowhere to be seen.

“Hhaha.. Ok.” He chuckled dryly, chewing on his lip. Ahead, he could see a mailbox, and the beginning of a rocky path. Cautious, he walked further up the road, coming to stop at the driveway.

As he'd suspected, beyond the tree lined fence that obscured much if the block, was a path lined with blue flowers. “I guess I'm a bit early, though.” He muttered, glancing up at the sun, before heading forward along the gravel trail.  

Trees lined each side of him, the branches intertwining above, creating the illusion of a tunnel. Lea swallowed nervously. The further he walked, the more flowers there were - all different kinds, but all blue. He had no idea of the significance of them, whether magic or for the aesthetics of it.

He paused, his ankles suddenly itchy, surprised to find a cluster of sticky buds attached to his socks. ‘Forget me nots…” he muttered, eyes finding a group of them growing on the path near his feet. They seemed a strange choice for the otherwise beautiful arrangements of flowers.

“ _Myosotis scorpioides_ blooms blue.”

Lea jumped, spinning around, his eyes finding the path ahead. Standing in the shade of the trees, watching him with a small smile, was Xion. No longer in her gardeners outfit, she was wearing a pair of denim overalls, with a plain black shirt beneath.

“So you can read minds, too?” He asked, crossing his arms defensively, a slight pout in his face. Xion giggled.

“No, I just assumed that from the look on your face you didn't find my sticky friends quite as endearing as the rest of the flowers.” She approached him, crouching down at his feet to inspect the flowers.

“It's a shame they aren't in bloom yet, they're very pretty.” She smiled up at him, and stood, coming only to his elbow. “You managed to get here, despite my protective spells. I can see why Riku has decided to work with you.”

 _Protective spells?_ Lea frowned at that, avoiding her eye. “Trust me when I say I have little to no control of whatever it is. I was just daydreaming when I suddenly found myself here.”

Xion raised her eyebrows, and squinted at him. “Is that so…” Lea just stared back, not sure what she expected of him - which, to his disdain, was becoming a regular feeling.

“My apologies, I didn't mean to assume,” she said finally, stepping back from him. Lea's stomach turned. “Why don't you come inside? I haven't had time to prepare anything, but, I could make you some tea.”

She kept smiling, and Lea sighed. “Ok, sure. I don't have much else to do - Riku's still hibernating.”

Xion laughed. “That's one way of putting it, isn't it?” She turned, “Ok, come on then.” She motioned for him to follow, and he did, the two of them making their way up the garden path until the trees started to disperse. As they fell away, the path widened, and a wide clearing came into view.

The house, or, cottage, was brick and wood. It's walls covered in well tended vines, not messy or overgrown. All around them were flowers, and Lea stopped for amount to take it all in.

There were few words for it. Magical was one of them.

“Is it ok if I ask you some things?” Lea started, glancing at Xion’s back as he followed. “About magic and witches and everything?”

Xion laughed, reaching the door and holding it open, “Let me guess, that old man is still as tight lipped as ever?” She smiled knowingly at Lea's open mouth. “I've known Riku for a long time. Come in, you can ask whatever you want.”

Lea didn't need to be told twice, the promise of learning more than a handful of things at a time sounded too good to be true. He went through the open door, marvelling at the old world feel of the witches home.

“Don't just stand there staring,” she laughed, “Come on, I'll show you to the kitchen.”

Lea was beginning to like Xion.

Her home was larger than it looked from the outside, with a front room for guests. She led him past, further into the house, down a narrow corridor with dark wood panel walls and a rack for coats. Through the door at the end was her kitchen.

It was large and long, with a table in the middle. A number of benches circled around, stacked with plants, herbs, flowers, as well as, to Lea's surprise, general appliances like a fridge and microwave.

She motioned him to a chair by the table, and set about putting the kettle on. “So, what do you want to know?” She asked, fishing tea bags out of a tin.

“I - um, I don't know where to start.” He said, still taking in everything, a small look of bewilderment on his face. “I suppose, to start, can you tell me about how you know Riku?”

Xion’s smile immediately became criminal looking, and she hid it behind her hand. “I knew you'd ask about him first!”

Lea's cheeks where burning. “That's not fair - I just -”

“Hmm hmmm,” she hummed dismissively, and turned to take the kettle, pouring water into two cups. “You can pretend you don't really care, but it's written all over your face.” She smiled more softly, handing him a cup. “You remind me of my sister. Which, I guess is how this story starts.”

Lea went quiet, any words of protest immediately gone with the mention of Riku's old partner. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, not only do you look like Kairi, you remind me of her in how you act, too.”

Lea's eyes widened, eyebrows raised, before dropping into the confused stare. “What do you mean I ‘look like her?’”

“Haven't you seen a picture of her?” Xion asked, eyebrows raised. Before waiting for Lea to reply, she pulled a phone out of her pocket. He watched as she flicked her finger across the screen, before passing it over the table to him. “This is Kairi.”

The photo was of the girl from the photo Riku and showed him, only now, Lea could see her in colour. His heartbeat loudly in his ears. Her hair was red, darker than his, but red all the same. A splatter of freckles crossed her cheeks, her skin slightly tanned. He stared, before looking back up at Xion, speechless. “I-”

“I imagine the reason Riku is so protective of you is because of your similarities.” She smiled a little sadly. “Apologies, I overheard your argument earlier in the market.”

Lea frowned, looking away. “Yea, well, it doesn't make it any less frustrating.”

“I can imagine,” Xion smiled. “Kairi used to feel the same. You see, Riku was her protector for a time - her bodyguard.”

Lea looked back up, eyes wide. “Bodyguard? But, he said they were…”

“Partners? They were, but before then, Riku was entrusted with her life. Having triplet witch girls born is extremely rare. And due to the powers it awards us when we're together, we had to separated once our magic began to show.”

Lea frowned. “What happens when you’re together?” He asked, trying to mask his worry. He distracted himself by adding sugar to his tea.

“It’s hard to explain,” Xion started, crossing her arms. “But, essentially, we three are separately already powerful, our ability to access the magic in the world is heightened compared to other magi. If we were together, we’d become a conduct of power well beyond our usual abilities, and present a danger to ourselves and to others.” She sighed, looking sad, “It’s a shame, but we haven’t all been together since we were around eight years old.”

Lea frowned sadly, and looked away, tugging absently at his hair. “And was Riku the one that took Kairi away?”

Xion nodded. “Kairi hated him. Her powers are tied to her relationships with others, and her ability to affect other’s hearts. To be taken away from us hurt her dearly.” She sighed. “But, you know, they eventually became good friends.”

“I see…” he murmured. There was silence as Lea thought, his face paling as he took a sip of tea. Three witches - separated as kids, under the protection of - NaCo? And Riku. Now, girls where going missing all around the city, and two of the sisters taken. Riku had said it was for their powers, that Stri could eat their hearts to become stronger, and maybe he was right.

But, there was something else. If the three of them being together was so dangerous, then what if that was what the bad guys where after? The combined power? Which would mean…

He looked up suddenly, meeting Xion’s eye. “There’s something I need to tell you.”


	9. Bound

Riku sped his bike along the dark backstreets of the town, following the only route that would lead him to the woods - and hopefully to Xion. He’d yet to receive a reply from Lea, and his eyes strayed to the sidewalk as he drove, half hoping to catch a flash of red in the dark.

He’d gotten used to being alone the past year. His crusade, as his old co-workers named it, had quickly become something he did alone. Resigned to being given no help, to not having a partner. Perhaps it was his stubborn refusal to replace Kairi in anyway. Not that he’d had anyone else before.

He frowned, speeding up as he pulled onto a long, empty road, the lights of the houses falling back until there was naught but his headlights and the dark of the trees around him.

He would have to look for Lea later. Despite the way his heart hammered with worry, Xion was more important. She was the only link he had left, and finding her now Naimine was gone was of the utmost priority.  

It was past seven when he found what he’d been looking for - the soft glow of a light up ahead. He pulled his bike over, slowly riding up to inspect the driveway. The light came from the unnatural glow of the path ahead - lined with blue flowers and thick trees, there was no discernable source, unless one believed in magic.

He pulled off his helmet and collected Lea’s bags from the compartment in the back of his bike. He’d brought his laptop with him, uncomfortable with leaving it in an easily accessed hotel room. They had found him at the university, it was possible they would find him again.

He followed the garden trail until he came to a clearing, eyes settling on the cottage ahead. It was so obviously magical that Riku felt his head begin to hurt. Of course, Xion already broke many of NaCo’s rules, having an illusioned house was nothing to her.

He sighed, somewhat struggling to let go of his old role as an enforcer, and made his way to the door.  

Pausing at the entrance, he prepared himself for whatever form Xion would take for him. He’d never fully made himself immune to her natural abilities, and his hand hesitated as he made to knock.

If it was Kairi…

He took a deep breathe, and let his fist land on the heavy wood. The knock echoed in the small clearing, and he stood back, stomach turning as he heard footsteps approach from inside. The door swung outward, and -

\- It was Lea.

Although Riku tried not to, he knew he was making a face, surprised to find the human already there. Lea stared back at him for several moments, a somewhat sombre look on his freckled features.

“You’re kinda late.” Lea remarked, rubbing the back of his neck as he often did when he was nervous. Riku frowned.

  
“Yea… I… took some time to find the correct house. How did you get here?” He wondered, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s a long story, I sorta just teleported here from what I can tell.”

“...teleported.”

“Trust me, I have no idea.” Lea shook his head, apparently not willing to give any further explanation. Riku sighed.  

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” He didn’t say any more on it, but was truly relieved that the redhead had managed to find himself to safety - even if the methods of how were questionable. He’d need to ask the witch of Lea’s possible magical affinity later. “I’d like to see Xion, could you invite me in?”

He smiled as Lea bristled, his cheeks going noticeably red as he realised Riku was waiting at the threshold for a reason. “Right. Uh, please come in?”

Riku chuckled further at his now worrying rate of hair tugging - a habit that would lead the human bald if he didn't stop. “It's ok, I forget sometimes, too,” he mused, gaining more amusement from Lea's slack-jawed reaction to his teasing.

As Lea closed the door, he paused in the hallway.

“Listen, about how I acted earlier -”

“I know,” Lea cut in, his face going from one emotion to the next, now a sympathetic pout. “Xion… she told me about Kairi. About how you were her protector or whatever. I get it.” He crossed his arms, and Riku's stomach turned. “But you don't have to worry about me like that, ok? It's my choice to be here, I don't expect you to keep on protecting me.”

Riku stared at him, face emotionless. He'd thought things through. He wanted to keep Lea safe - and there was only one sure way to do that. He just didn't expect him to agree. “I know you want to be involved.” He started, somewhat struggling to find the words. “But you can't be. After this, I'm going to take you to NaCo for your protection.”

Lea's expression fell immediately, and Riku could sense the barrage of protests he was about to be met with.

“We can talk about it afterward. I need to speak with Xion,” Riku added, watching as Lea's gaze became infuriated.  

“Alright,” Lea replied finally, voice tight. “Well then just so you know, she already knows about Naminé.”

Riku just nodded, his chest aching. He could see the hurt in Lea’s eyes, but it would be impossible to convince him without taking the hard route. He handed him his bag. “I bought this from the hotel for you.”

Lea snatched it from him, eyes leveled with reproach. “Thanks.”

Sighing, Riku turned, pushing through the door at the end of the hallway, Lea following from a distance.

Riku was met with Kairi's gaze. She was sitting at the table, her cheeks tear stained and red, her eyes puffy. He was frozen. His heart thumped so hard, he almost felt human again.

“Riku.” Her voice broke the illusion, and in a blink, the image of Kairi was gone, Xion’s grey-blue eyes now looking at him with soft regard. “It's been a while.”

He stepped forward, taking a seat at the table. His throat was tight. “It has,” He replied, unable to hide the way seeing Kairi had affected him. He took a breath. “I'm not sure Lea told you. But I've been fired. You don't need to worry about NaCo.”

Xion regarded him, the tears that had been on Kairi's cheeks also on her own. “You were always welcome. I never had any trouble avoiding detection, and I trusted my sister.”

“But-”

“I know... Your duty. Look how far it's got you.” Her voice was sad, pitiful, even. Riku didn't know how to reply. He was aware of Lea moving to lean against one of the counters. He couldn't take it.

“I'm sorry.” He said finally, voice breaking, his hands in fists. “I tried to warn Naminé. But-” he lowered his head, he couldn't even remember how it had happened.

“Riku,” Xion started, her voice as soft as ever. “It's not your fault. Even Kai-”

“Yes it _is.”_ Riku interjected, looking back up to Xion, his eyes watering. “I didn't come here to ask for forgiveness! I'm here to warn you.”

“That the stri are after the power of myself and my sisters?” Xion was calm, and she watched him with a mournful gaze. Riku went quiet, aware Lea was watching.

So, he had figured it out.

“Yes.” He replied finally, aware of his outburst. He sat back, trying to regain composure. “If you were to fall into their hands -”

“That's not going to happen,” Xion replied, voice firm. “Lea already warned me. I've taken precautions. I don't need your protection. I'm not my sister.”

This time, her words truly stung. He'd spent a long time keeping his eyes out for the stri since Kairi had disappeared. When the next witch was taken, he'd known. He'd been so careful, he'd done everything to warn Naminé - only for her to be taken. Now, Xion was in danger. They just didn't understand - they couldn't.

He met her eye, her firm gaze wearing him down until all he could imagine was Kairi. “I want to get her back, Xion.” He said softly, clenching his fists. “I want to find the people doing this and I want to kill them.” There was venom in his voice now, and Xion sighed.

“I know. But you're not going to be able to do that without help.”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“The two of you talk very loudly.” She said simply, gazing behind Riku to where Lea was standing. “I think if you want to find my sister, you need to do what she always told you to do - let someone else in.”

Riku stared at her, before dropping his gaze. He'd already made up his mind. He couldn’t let anyone else get hurt because of him. “I can't do that.” Behind him, he was aware of Lea sighing. “I came here to warn you, and to ask for advice, but dragging others into this was never my intention.”

“Riku,” he looked up again, and Xion was gazing at him sadly. “...very well, i’d be happy to offer advice.” She paused, her expression suddenly conflicted. “I… you’ve reminded me.” She stood, and Riku watched her, confused, as she walked across the room to a pantry. “Kairi, she wanted me to give this to you.”

“Kairi did?” He asked, standing in interest. She'd never had much contact with her sisters, and anything she sent them was monitored. Was it possible it was connected to the case?

“I think… with her gone, and not here for you, it's what she'd want.” She turned from the cabinet, holding an object wrapped in a dark red cloth. “Lea, can you come here?”

“...Sure?” Lea sounded confused. Riku was equally so, and glanced at him quizzically. He couldn't even guess what it could be, or what Lea could have to do with it. Lea raised a questioning eyebrow as he came to stand beside him.

Xion looked between them, a sympathetic look crossing her gaze. Riku had no chance to be suspicious - or to stop her once it started. With a tug, she pulled the dark cloth from the object - a near blinding flash of light filling the room, the rays pink and gold and scattering as if the light itself were dust. The static from the magic was immediately suffocating, and Riku was pushed to his knees, swearing in shock as he looked up to Xion in horror.

“Hey- what the hell?” Lea was still standing, unaffected by the heaviness of the magic, his hair looking pinkish under the light. His gaze darted between them.

“Sorry,” Xion said, sounding far away. Her voice dropped, and she murmured a string of near inaudible words, the object she was holding pulsing with power, it’s light making Riku’s eyes water. Beside him, Lea made a pained sound, pushed to his knees as a beam of energy directed at his chest.   

“Wait-”

A beam hit him. It was warm, and strong, the power enough to push him back. It didn’t hurt, but it made him feel numb, spreading through his body down to the core. He knew this magic, it’s fizziness, the way it reached into his heart, his soul, like fire.

_Kairi. Why?_

* * *

 

He thought he had blacked out, only to realize he could open his eyes. He was looking up at an old, run-down building. It wasn’t one he recognized, but a sense of familiarity filled him.

_“Are you ready, Lea?”_

He glanced to the side, a boy with dark greyish blue hair was looking back at him with a smile. He knew him. But he also didn't. Riku realised he was speaking.

 _“Yea,”_ He felt himself say, grinning.

 _This is a dream._ His own voice seemed to echo around the memory, though neither Isa or Lea reacted. 

They walked up to the building, past a rusted gate and set of moss covered steps. Riku wouldn’t be scared, but he could feel it. His heart - Lea's heart - beat in his ears as he watched Isa take a crowbar to the closest window. The front door was chained and boarded over.

“ _You go first, Lea, I’ll keep an eye out.”_

 _“Y-yea,”_ He nodded, although he didn’t quite convince himself of his own willingness. If he didn’t go, Isa would think he was a coward.

Pulling himself up through the window, his feet landed on the dust covered floor with a soft thud. He winced at the sound, although it was minimal. Stepping back, he waited for his brother to follow, watching nervously as he dropped down to the floor as well.

_*”Let's look around.”*_

Riku - or was he Lea? He followed the long corridor down, it’s walls covered by a fading and peeling wallpaper, into what was an old bedroom. There was nothing interesting, although Isa made himself busy by looking through some drawers.

As he glanced around, the hairs on the back of his neck tingled, and he looked about with a nervous stammer. _“Did you hear that?”_

Before Isa could reply, a pain shot through his chest like a knife wound, and he doubled over in pain, gasping in shock. The memory faded to black, and Riku woke with a start.


	10. Lost

Riku clutched at his chest, sitting up, his breath short and labored. He sat there for a moment, taking in the fact he was in a bed he didn’t know, in a room with brick walls and timber floorboards.

_Xion_

The memory of what had happened flooded back to him like a bad dream, immediately making his teeth grit in anger. What had she done to them? Where was Lea? Why had he dreamt of him - of being him?

Riku pulled himself out of the bed, grunting with effort, it’s layer of floral blankets enough to give him trouble. He was weak - not just because it was daytime, but from his lack of feeding, and from the effect of the magic. He stubbornly kicked until the blankets fell to the floor, and stepped onto the wooden floor with a wince. His body felt strange - as if he had pins and needles, his chest still aching.

Had that pain been part of the dream?  

He thought on it, the vividness of being Lea, the emotions of it, the way his heart had raced with fear and excitement. He had felt human again - something not even his own memories could remind him of. As well as that - he’d experienced something else, what he had felt as the dream had ended. The tingling at the back of his neck, like a warning. He would have to ask Lea about it later - after he spoke with Xion.

Stepping slowly to the door, using the wooden side table for balance, he regained his feeling for his body. It was cold - as he seemed to only be wearing a robe and pants - the chill of early morning. Stepping out of the room, hand on the wall, he tried to figure out where he _*was*_ exactly. Xion’s house was illusioned, and he has little idea of how big it could actually be.

He walked along the corridor, it was dimly lit, and on any other occasion, he would call it cozy. But he was on edge - his mood a simmering anger that he was already having trouble containing. He didn’t often lose his temper - but being tricked by a witch was a special occasion. He wandered for several minutes, growing frustrated with the random rooms filled with bookshelves or storage, and seemingly no way to the main house.

It was possible Xion had trapped him, perhaps knowing he wouldn’t be so amicable after what had transpired. That just annoyed him more.

Convinced he was walking about in circles, he forced himself to rest, leaning against the wall and massaging his temples. His body was beginning to protest. Not only was he emotional, he was craving blood, a feeling that tormented him when he let himself go too long without feeding.

The thought of blood tore his mind to think of Lea again, both with hunger and worry. A concerning and confusing combination of feelings. It was then, as he turned his mind to him, that he realized he was being an idiot. _*He could smell humans.*_ The reminder of his natural instincts kicked them into action. He had trained himself to ignore them most of the time, and now that he was letting them guide him, he found there was little to do to resist it.

His feet led themselves, immediately sensing Lea _*somewhere*_ nearby, the smell of him still fresh in the air. He turned several corners, the corridors intertwining, confused, any chance of remembering his way lost with his urge to satiate his will to feed.

Finally, he found him.

Lea was standing in front of a door, looking as confused and annoyed as Riku had, arms crossed. He was wearing robes similar to his own, though it seemed Lea had decided it was too hot - as his was tied around his waist, chest bare. Riku’s eyes found his neck, and he bit his own tongue with a painful wince, pulling himself temporarily from his daze.  

Lea spun about at the sound of his pained groan. “Jesus- Riku?”. It was the look of shock and worry that followed that led Riku to realise he probably looked similar to a corpse.

“That bad?” He joked, finding his voice raspy and tight.

Lea made a face halfway between a smile and a grimace, his mouth twisted worriedly. “Pretty fucking bad, to be honest,” Lea said, walking closer. Riku struggled not to stare at the pulse on his neck. “If you want a piece of this, I’m not going to stop you,” Lea said, a hand on his hip. “Just don’t knock me out like you did last time, please. We’ve been sleeping for like 3 days already.”

 _*Three days.*_ It would’ve shocked him more if he weren't so starved.

He nodded and watched as Lea considered him for a moment, before tilting his neck in offering.    

Riku pounced on him in all forms of the word, Lea letting out a huff as he was pushed back against the wall. He held him by his shoulders, fangs sinking into his neck with a relieved sigh. The taste of blood hit his tongue like an elixir, and he sucked at his neck as if it were the last thing he’d ever drink.

Against him, he could feel Lea’s body stiffen in controlled fear, his heart rate quickening so that Riku was rewarded with even more blood. It took a least half a minute for him to feel his need dying down, and he pulled back, releasing Lea from his grip with shaky hands, his tongue making sure not to miss a drop from his neck.  

Riku breathed hard, hesitantly turning his gaze to Lea’s face. The human had gone considerably pale, and he stayed leaning against the wall, even after being released, his eyes downcast. Guilt curled in his chest. “I’m sorry, I-”

“Stop apologizing,” Lea groaned, and looked up at him, his warm emerald gaze catching his. “I just don’t like needles and stuff. It’s a similar sensation.” He pouted a bit and looked away, apparently thinking. “Why didn’t you feed off me the night we arrived here?”

Riku open and shut his mouth, the question catching him off guard. “I just… don’t enjoy feeding.” When he had been part of the NaCo force, he’d received blood packs as meals. Trying to drink from living sources again had been a struggle. Lea didn’t look convinced.  

“Really.” Lea replied flatly, raising his eyebrow. “Well, don’t you think it’d be better if you did it when you were in control, rather than when you look like you’re about to turn into a corpse? It’s unnerving.”

There was silence as Riku stared at him, unable to find an answer. He knew Lea was right, and that only made him feel more guilty. “I - you’re right,” he murmured, looking away. “Next time, I’ll ask you when i’m myself. I apologize.”

*Next time.* He said it, knowing what it implied. Lea shifted from the wall, and, to Riku’s surprise, put a hand on his shoulder.

“I know I’ve told you like 30 times now, but I really do want to help.” His gaze was soft, but not pitiful. Riku was lost in it for a moment.

“...Thank you.” He paused, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve, eyes averted. The more time he spent with Lea, the harder it was for Riku to push him away, if he’d even be able to. The events of the day before were bought back to the forefront of his thoughts. “What happened to us…”

“Yea, I’ve been thinkin’ about that,” Lea interjected, his penchant for speaking as quickly as he thought both endearing and mildly infuriating - although it was growing on Riku. “You told me Kairi was a witch of hearts,” Riku nodded, and Lea continued, “Well, Xion told me something similar, that her powers were linked to the connections she made with others.”

“That sounds correct,” Riku agreed, waiting for Lea to continue. He had already come to his own conclusions, but wanted to hear the human’s reasoning.

“And, yesterday - I mean, three days ago,” he sighed, ruffling his hair in a frustrated manner, “When the magic hit us, before you passed out, you said Kairi’s name.”   
  
This surprised Riku, and he raised his eyebrows. “...I did?”

“Yea… I’m wondering if it - if it’s done something to us. To affect us. I had some weird dreams...” He trailed off, and Riku made a concerned noise. Did Lea dream of him too?

“What did you dream?” He asked, cautious.

“I don’t remember. But - maybe I was imagining it, but, I think it was about you.” There was a pause, and Lea stammered slightly,  “And, no offense, but I usually my dreams about guys aren’t so weird.”

“I… see,” Riku said no more, frowning. What _had_ that spell done to them? He couldn’t remember most of what had transpired, the magic had knocked him out effectively. Yet - “That’s right - you’ve reminded me -” He looked up at Lea, “I remember, you where still standing, right up until the spell hit.” He crossed his arms seriously, “I’m beginning to think your resistance to magic is stronger than I’d initially thought.”

That made Lea pout, apparently not pleased with the news. “Well, it didn’t do me any good, I still ended up collapsing a bit after you did.” He paused, looking down at Riku with a frown.  “...why are you smiling?”

Riku caught himself, unaware that he’d broken into a grin. He covered his mouth with one hand, as if to wipe it away. It was rare for him to smile with his teeth - and by extension, fangs. “To be honest, I just find your stubborn refusal of your possible powers amusing.” He kept his gaze on Lea, watching his cheeks redden. “You even blocked me out of your mind earlier in the market, it’s fairly impressive.”

Lea pout became even more exaggerated, if possible. “I thought that was Xion.”

“So did I, but even as i’m standing here next to you, after drinking from you, I can’t. It has to be you.” He watched Lea’s face as he struggled to find a way to refute it. “I can see you don’t appreciate this as much as I do.” Riku smiled, only to frown as Lea’s eyes turned downwards. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing.” Lea still refused to meet his eye, his hand now tugging at his hair.

“Are you sure?” Riku didn’t like the suddenly moody version of the human. Lea raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, so now you’re worried about how I feel.” He scoffed, and Riku’s words died in his mouth. They still hadn’t resolved their previous argument, then. He went quiet, not knowing what to say in response. Lea huffed. “Don’t worry about it, ok? Why don’t we - we can talk about it after we get out of this damn maze.” He motioned to the hallway they were standing in.

“Right,” Riku welcomed the way out of the awkward conversation. “Any luck for you? I didn’t have any success in figuring it out myself.”

Lea nodded, and pointed to the door Riku had found him staring at. “I made a mark on a door I walked past earlier,” he nodded to a small scratch on the woodwork. “Well, that was about and hour ago. I decided to jog for as long as I could - for about 30 minutes if i’m still in shape - to see if I found an exit.”

Riku suddenly understood why Lea had taken his gown off. He nodded. “Ok, so, what did you discover?”

“That this place makes no fuckin’ sense.” He put his hand on his hips, pointing to the corner Riku had come around. “I swear that when I made this mark, the door was in a one way corridor that connected to two left turns. You just came from the right, which means the goddamn doors are *moving*.” He paused for effect, and Riku was yet again impressed with Lea’s knack for trying to make sense of things. “Not only that, but I ran around a bunch, and still ended up back here!”

“I see,” Riku resisted smiling again, Lea’s theatrics amusing. “This is going to be troublesome.”  


End file.
